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Originally Posted by MovedGoalPosts
OK, you are building a desktop PC to replace an existing desktop. Once you have transferred the data from the existing desktop are you going to keep the old one and still use it, or get rid of it.
Are there any other PCs in the house.
At the moment your desktop is directly connected, by wire, to the broadband phone point, and has an integral ADSL modem. Unless you are going to move the desktop around to other rooms that don't have a wired connection (and there is no practical way of running a wire), you don't need the added expense (and setup issues) of wireless. If you are only going to have one PC you don't need a router (although they can offer some security advantages, such as a hardware firewall).
If your old PC is only going to get occasional use, then it might be cheaper to connect that to the new one via Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), wired, than run to the expense of a router.
If you are going to regularly use two PCs then a router is the best way forward. You only need wireless though if there is no easy way of getting wires to the fixed desktop position. If you do need wireless then most wireless routers include the ability for up to 4 wired PC connections in addition to the wireless. More correctly these wireless routers are called "wireless access point routers".
If you get a router, for wired connection, all you will need is a standard ethernet network card (PCI) for your PC. If you want to use ICS then you need two network cards. Many modern motherboards will include at least one network card connection. Some motherboards include wireless adaptors too.
If you are going down the wireless route, you will need either a wireless adaptor card (or on board wireless adaptor) for the PC, or a network card attached to an external wireless Bridge. Be carefull with the termiology here as access pioints and bridges are different things.
I would not recommend you use a wireless device that relies on USB to connect to the PC. As many have said eleswhere, USB relies on the computer resources generally to operate, whereas dedicated hardware like a proper card is less depandant on the main CPU so there can be better performance. For the small extra cost of a dedicated card network or wireless network adaptor, it make sense to take tha option.
Whatever happens, unless you reuse your existing internal ADSL modem (and there is no reason why you should not, unless it is integrated to the PC), or buy an euivalent internal modem, you will need to get a standalone one or one that is integrated with a router. The router integrated, can be cheaper, and more convenient, but if there is any future possibility of your going cable, and ADSL router would be incompatible.
No disrespect intended, but I'm worried you are just jumping on a bandwagon or wireless and routers for the sake of it, rather than haveing any real need for either.
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